Role of Geographical (Spatial) Information System …

1 Role of Geographical (Spatial) Information System (GIS) in governance By Principal Consultant, PriceWaterHouseCoopersPvtLtd Abstract Geographic Information System (GIS) plays an important role in all walks of our life and it is said that the geographic Information affects about 80% of our decisions. It provides a better understanding of the spatial phenomenon that occurs around us. Such phenomenon however is complex in nature and requires a vast collection of data- the integration of geographic data from different sources therefore is fundamental requirement to analyze and understand the problems that keeps relation with geography in one way or another.

2 This implies that the data that are produced by an agency need to be shared with others, which can be viewed as unlocking of data to its potential users. This paper will present the role of spatial Information (GIS data) in governance & it provides a basis for geographic Information and its application for users and providers within all levels of the government and the general citizens. Such GIS data & its infrastructure can be in place at different levels: enterprise, local, national, regional and global level.

3 Last few years have witnessed that many national governments around the globe are engaged to develop GIS data & infrastructure at national level & local level. GIS applications are diverse, however E-Governance based applications may include determining the suitability of land for different uses, planning future land uses for different objectives, managing cadastral Information for the purpose of property recognition, taxation and regulation, analyzing land and land-cover properties for both resource inventories and scientific studies, and siting industrial or commercial enterprises.

4 Land is a dynamic feature which can be continuously updated using remote sensing images in GIS environment. Satellite images plays major role in GIS to provide up-to-date and reliable Information on Earth s resources and cultural features. This Information can be regularly updated in a cost-effective manner using temporal satellite images. As a result of the potential of GIS, the Government is now recognizing the needs of GIS scientists and managers at all levels. In India, there is a need to develop a centralized database that could serve Information to multiple users across different Geographical locations at a low cost without data redundancy.

5 An affordable technology would be required that enables storage, maintenance and updating of a central database with GUI. The GIS technology provides most of the capabilities for generating and updating the database for e-Governance. GIS software has been found to be very useful in integrating and overlaying the Information in an effective manner and displaying the results useful to planners and administrators. GIS have become indispensable tools for governance, commerce, environmental and social science.

6 The demand for innovative geographic Information products, services, and know-how is increasing everyday. Accurate and latest Earth resources and utility Information , which play an important role in GIS-based E-Governance, can be derived from satellite images Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) & IKONOS images at various ground resolutions. World Wide Web (WWW) is the enabling technology for much of this new openness and has facilitated the unlocking of Information that has been held as far as a secret.

7 With the availability of data on internet and GIS software compatible with internet, internet-GIS software are gaining popularity in many application areas, including E-Governance. The spatial data infrastructure (SDI) has for long been developed as a network for GIS data access. As a result GIS data, in distributed and heterogeneous databases, are readily accessible and sharable. Increasingly, traditional spatial data infrastructure fails to fully meet the needs of emerging markets. In order to meet demand for lean enterprises, evolving e-commerce activities and rapid gravitation towards Internet GIS, all compound to motivate the concept of a novel service-centered infrastructure that enables delivery of geo- Information and GIS services of varying complexity.

8 The partnership of public and private institutions that are working in the GIS market is emerging now a day as a new business model, to meet GIS market needs. Introduction The role GIS services in the e-government initiatives Electronic Governance (e-governance) is tool by which citizens can communicate with government. Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) provides appropriate e-government solutions for citizens with the help of Geographic Information Systems (GIS). User friendly GIS software can play an important role in planning, developing and implementation of government Programmes & Projects.

9 The term E-Government is generally agreed to derive from electronic government. The present paper describes briefly about how the GIS is playing crucial role in delivering the services in sectors like government development programs, land Records, Infrastructure sector, Health Sector, municipalities. E- Government introduces applications to support various dimensions of government and has the following general service areas: The delivery of public services, where there is an online, Internet based, or electronic aspect to the delivery of the services The conduct of government business where the activities of those involved in the process of government itself where some electronic or online aspect is under consideration.

10 E-Government provides many opportunities to improve the quality of services to the citizen (G2C), to business (G2B, B2B) as well as to government institutions (G2G). i. Case Study: Micro level planning and monitoring of development Programmes using GIS Any development Programme to be implemented over a state or region needs a lot of micro level Information and planning such as identifying right areas and target people, allocation of funds, monitoring the activity, assessing the results etc. There are many cases in the past and present in our country that many development Programmes, which have faced many difficulties in achieving the objectives.